


The Rose and The Eagle: A Tale from the Tea Garden

by Rihnoswirl



Category: Girls und Panzer
Genre: Bickering, F/F, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:07:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27056185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rihnoswirl/pseuds/Rihnoswirl
Summary: A proper lady, and a carefree gal. Two commanders, two friends, two comrades. Two lovers. It should never have worked. But how did the two first meet? What happened that fateful day that Darjeeling and Kay first came across one another? A short story set in the Tales from the Tea Garden-universe
Relationships: Darjeeling/Kay (Girls und Panzer)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	The Rose and The Eagle: A Tale from the Tea Garden

**Author's Note:**

> This is a spin-off from my longer series "Tales from the Tea Garden", and while reading it is in no way a necessity t enjoy this story, there will come a point halfway through where the point-of-view switches to a character called Elizabeth. Elizabeth is the "real name" I've given Darjeeling in "Tales from the Tea Garden", as in the name she had before becoming known as Darjeeling. Just so you know.

"So, what do you think our chances are?"

"Hmm…" Assam leaned back against the front armor plate of the _Victory_ , and looked away, lost in thought. She was running the calculations in her mind. "Well, it's Saunders, so it will mostly be a matter of numbers. They don't have the crews or skills to oppose a well-drilled team like us or Kuromorimine. So I'd say... probably 73%? _Maybe_ 79 and a half, but that's only if we get to the high ground within the first five minutes."

"Well, with a margin like that, I doubt even a maniac like the commander could mess things up," Darjeeling sighed, trying her best to instill herself with confidence. Having somewhat succeeded, she returned her focus to the task at hand.

"Are you going to keep inspecting the treads all morning, or are you satisfied that they will hold? The _Victory_ already weighs well over 40 tonnes you know, so I think the treads will be fine."

"Very funny Assam…" Darjeeling got up from where she had been kneeling in the grass, and brushed herself off. "I'm just making sure. It's always better to be safe than sorry."

"Excuse me?" a voice called out from beside them, causing both Assam and Darjeeling to turn and face it. A few meters to their left stood a tall girl with short white hair, probably a third year, wearing Saunders' tank jacket. A patch sewn onto her shoulder distinguished her as their commander. The locks of her white hair turned inwards and followed the lines of her cheekbones perfectly, almost giving her the appearance of having sideburns. Behind her stood a girl their own age with blonde hair and a lax posture, also wearing a tank jacket, her hands in her pockets. "My name is Samantha, or 'Sam' for short. I'm the Commander-in-chief of Saunders, and I'm looking for your commander. Earl grey, isn't it?" the commander continued as they walked over to Assam and Darjeeling. "Do you perhaps know where I can find her?"

"Oh, yes. Of course," Darjeeling answered, as she and Assam both bowed to their adversary. St. Gloriana valued manners and respect above all else, even towards enemies. "Lady Earl Grey should be in the command tent. If you continue down that way, and then turn left… Actually, I think it perhaps best if Assam here shows you the way. If it's not too much trouble?"

"Not at all!" the older girl responded with a cheerful smile. "Kay, you stay here and await my return."

"Copy that, 'Auntie'" the blonde girl replied, giving a quick and unceremonious salute. Darjeeling found it to be sloppy and lazy. Salutes weren't exactly a necessity in Sensha-Do, with most teams having dropped the formality entirely. St. Gloriana was one of few schools who still held to the idea of a salute, and so seeing someone give such a sorry excuse of one did annoy her somewhat.

"Very well then! Miss Assam, lead the way!"

"Of course. This way please," Assam answered, and led the enemy commander through the labyrinthian collection of Cromwells, Crusaders, and Matildas, leaving Darjeeling alone with the cheerful blonde.

"Yo, what's ya name?!" she asked almost instantly, and shot out a hand before her.

"My name, if you must know, is Darjeeling. Third of the name," Darjeeling nodded to the girl, keeping her hands firmly together behind her back. "Commander of the _Victory_ , and heir presumptive to Lady Earl Grey."

"I'm Kay! Pleased to meet ya!" the girl replied with a cheerful grin on her face, her hand still firmly before her. "I'm kinda the head of the crew of 'Shermy'! Shermy's what we call our Sherman. Actually, now that I think about it, that's what we call most of the Shermans…" Kay paused for a second, and looked up at the sky with a stupid expression on her face, as if she was laughing at her own idiocy.

"Charmed…" Darjeeling's reply was as short as possible. She had no intention of giving this girl anything. The enemy commander had most likely put her there to try and gain some intel before the match. But Darjeeling wasn't falling for it.

"Really?! I'm charming?! Oh thank you so much Darjy!" The girl took a quick step forward, and pounced at Darjeeling, catching her in an unwelcome hug. Darjeeling was so taken aback by this sudden assault, she almost fell backwards, and the two girls smashed into the tank behind her.

"Get off me you mad greycoat!" Darjeeling growled, and squirmed free from the girl's embrace. "What in the name of all that is holy is the matter with you?!"

"Oh, sorry. I guess that hug was a little tight." Kay took a step back, and flashed an innocent smile. As if that would fool Darjeeling.

"How tight the embrace was is not the issue. You don't simply go up and embrace perfect strangers."

"But you're not a perfect stranger?" Kay looked at her with another stupid smile. "You're Darjy!"

"No, I'm not. My name, Miss Kay…"

"Oh, ya can just call me Kay! We're friends after all!"

"My name, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, is Darjeeling. And no, we are not friends. We just met. We aren't even acquaintances."

"It's true what they say! You 'Glories' _are_ weird!" The blonde laughed, and reached out to put a hand on Darjeeling's shoulder. She quickly took a step back to avoid it. "Anyone whose name ya know is a friend! At least at Saunders it is!"

"I see. Perhaps they do not teach you manners aboard the _George Washington_. In civilized society, where one speaks properly, one does not simply become a friend by knowing their name. Knowing and remembering someone's name properly is merely simple common courtesy. And whatever do you mean by 'Glories'?"

"Girls like you! Glories! Girls who study at Gloria, ya know?"

"It's not Gloria. It's St. Gloriana Girls College, thank you very much."

"Right, St. Gloria, whatever! You all use such long words. We're a bit more plain-spoken back on Georgy, so we simply say Glories! The shorter the words, the more you can talk, right?!"

"Perhaps…" Darjeeling replied with a sigh as she rolled her eyes. Her patience was running thin with this girl. "I see you carry just as little respect for your commander as you do for others. Tell me, what was that strange name you called Commander Samantha before?"

"Oh, ya mean Sammy? Yeah, she's really nice to us shinies, so we all call her Auntie Sam, or just Auntie if you're in a hurry!"

Darjeeling took a series of deep breaths, and tried her best not to scream. She felt like she was going mad. Like she was the only sane person left on Earth, surrounded by monosyllabic morons. Kay being the platonic ideal among them. She wanted to run away, to find someone properly educated to speak to. Like Miss Hibiscus, the gunner of the _Repulse_ , Miss Orange Pekoe-senpai's Crusader. She was always a perspicacious person, someone one could have a conversation with over a game of Bridge, or perhaps Whist.

"Well then," she began, pushing one of her nails into her arm as she spoke. "I suppose everyone is taught in their own way. Sadly not everyone has the opportunity to be brought up properly."

"Amen to that, sister! You're really clever Darjy!"

"It's… Darjeeling…" she replied through gritted teeth. "And at the risk of being rude, I wonder if you could perhaps excuse me so that I can complete my inspection of the _Victory_?" She turned away from Kay, and continued her inspection of the tracks.

"The _Victory_? Is that your tank? This one here?!"

Darjeeling took another deep breath, and turned back to the blonde. "Yes, I assumed that much would be obvious to even the most unperceptive of beings." She pointed to a small shiny brass plaque with the name _Victory_ on it, bolted to the tank's skirts. "Now, if you would excuse me?"

"Oh, yeah! Go right on ahead, Darjy!"

Darjeeling wanted to correct her a third time, but felt that if she did, she would run the risk of behaving rudely. So she elected to ignore the mispronunciation of her name, and kept checking the _Victory_ 's treads one more time for any damage or other issues. She couldn't concentrate on her task however. Not when she could sense Kay looking over her shoulder, feeling the girl's breath on her neck. It was all very annoying.

"Do you mind? I'm trying to work here."

"Oh, sorry Darjy!" Kay took a step back, still having that ridiculous smile on her face. "I'll stay over here instead!" She took another couple of steps back, and leaned back against the side of the _Invincible_ , a small Matilda. At least she was out of the way...

* * *

"You're really meticulous about this, aren't you?"

Darjeeling sighed. "So what if I am? It is always better to be safe than sorry. It is like Sun Tzu said; 'Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win'."

"Maybe so, but that's the fourth time you've checked that segment since I came over here. There is such a thing as being over-prepared, you know?" Kay paused for a second, before continuing in a horrible mimicking of Darjeeling's voice. "As von Moltke the elder said; 'No plan survives first contact with the enemy'."

Darjeeling didn't move or respond for a few seconds, only drawing a few deep breaths. She wanted so deeply to untether herself from all her school stood for, and deliver her fist right into this annoyance of a girl's face. "Mimicry is the highest form of flattery, mimicry is the highest form of flattery," she repeated to herself a few times, but was soon rudely interrupted once again.

"Kay, you're not being a nuisance I hope?" It was Saunders' commander. Darjeeling turned around to look down the corridor of tanks, and walking towards them were Assam and Samantha.

"Of course not Sam!" Kay replied and leapt forward, slinging an arm across Darjeeling's shoulder, and she almost felt her blood boil. "Just making new friends is all!"

"That's good. I trust she hasn't been a bother?"

"Not at all," Darjeeling answered and forced a smile. "She's been just… _splendid_ company."

"Excellent. Well, my business with your commander is over, so I suppose we shall meet on the battlefield. Assam, I thank you most graciously for your guidance. Without you I fear I'd be walking this maze until long after the battle was over." She shook Assam's hand, and continued walking away. "Kay, we're returning to the nest!"

"Aye Auntie!" Kay shouted back, and gave Darjeeling a final unwanted squeeze of a hug, before rushing after her commander. "Bye Darjy! See ya on the field, friend!"

For a moment, the world was quiet. Then, Assam opened her mouth.

"Well, you two seem to have gotten on like a house on fire." Darjeeling turned and glared at her friend.

"The...the...the…" She could barely speak, so full of rage was she. "The nerve of that girl! No, not a girl! She is the devil incarnate! There is not a shred of manners or sense of tact in her body! They teach them nothing aboard that stupid carrier of theirs!"

"What do you mean? Their commander seemed more than reasonable to me?"

"She was completely unreasonable! Her conduct outrageous! Her very being was the platonic ideal of uncouth!"

"So? The commander is also a bit odd, but you seem to deal with her at least fine."

"Earl Grey is one thing! She's a deluded perv who should never have been given command of this team, but she's predictable in her lunacy! That, that, that...thing… is impossible to deal with! If I never see her again, it will have been too soon!"

"That's harsh, even for you. I'm sure it's just some residual anger from you and Fitzwilliam having broken up again."

"Oh for heaven's sake Assam, don't bring Fitz into this…" Darjeeling answered and put a hand on her face, sighing as she did so.

"Alright then. I won't..." Darjeeling wasn't looking at Assam, but if she had been, she would have seen a mischievous smile appear on her lips. "Darjy."

* * *

Faint beams of light broke through the blinds, annoying Elizabeth enough that she opened her eyes. The orange sky outside told her it was still early. She shuffled her body a bit under the covers, and felt the arm lying across her side. Faint breaths caressing her neck. She knew whose it was of course, and even if she didn't, the loud snoring would have made it obvious. She turned herself slightly, and glanced back to see Kay lying behind her, sleeping in nothing but her birthday suit. The sight of the blonde girl lying there, all asleep and helpless, it brought a smile to her face. To her, there was nothing more cute and adorable in the world.

She turned around in the bed to face the sleeping blonde, doing her best to not wake her. Something that proved rather difficult with the arm and leg that had curled their way around her in the night. After a few minutes however, she had done it.

"Zzz…no mommy, i didn't...zzz...take any candy…it was naomi...zzz"

Elizabeth giggled. Kay usually woke up before her, so hearing her talk in her sleep was a rare treat. She should probably wake her up, but the blonde looked so peaceful and silly when she slept. Instead, she just continued lying there, watching and listening. After a few minutes however, she reached up a finger and pressed lightly on the girl's cheek. It was soft and bouncy, just like the rest of her. Elizabeth stifled a laugh, trying her best to wake Kay up gently. Carefully, she nestled herself in closer and closer, until she was in perfect striking distance. She reached in close, and kissed her in the center of her chest. She could feel the girl shuddering from the kiss, and a sound halfway between a moan and a purr emanated from her mouth.

A mischievous smile spread across her lips, and she moved up to Kay's shoulder, repeating the kiss. Another shudder, and another sound. Slowly, slowly, she made her way up along her neck, planting a new kiss every few centimeters. All the while, she could keep smelling Kay's hair. If pressed she would say it smelled like cherry blossoms and green apples. but to her, it just smelled of Kay, and that was the best smell in the world. Elizabeth savored every moment, every sound and every shudder beneath her touch. Then, finally, she had reached her ultimate goal. She pulled a page from Kay's playbook, and embraced her with all her might, kissing her beautiful lips as she did so. Kay soon answered.

"Good morning sleepyhead…" Elizabeth said softly as their lips parted.

"Mmm… Why couldn't we go a little longer?"

"I had to let you get some air sooner or later, didn't I?" Elizabeth giggled.

"Who needs air to live? I already have you." Kay smiled back. "So, whatcha thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing much. I just had a dream."

"Ooooh, a dream you say? Who was it about? Do I need to be jealous?"

"Only if you're jealous of your past self, you big dummy." Elizabeth playfully smacked Kay over the head, and gave her a quick peck on her forehead. "I just dreamt about the day we met."

"Oh…"

"It feels like it was ages ago…"

"That's 'cause it was, silly." Kay returned the favor, and gave Elizabeth a smack on the head. "It was years ago. You were so different then. All stuck-up and proper."

"And you haven't changed a bit. You were a carefree airhead even back then." She looked into Kay's eyes. Those beautiful dots of aquamarine. And despite how lovely they were, so lovely that she could lose herself in them for hours, all she could feel was sadness.

"So…" Kay said in a low voice, and looked away. They both knew what would happen. "When does your plane leave?"

Elizabeth didn't say anything. She just felt sad and empty inside. She wouldn't get to wake up with Kay like this anymore. There was no Kay in England after all. There was no one like Kay in the whole world as far as she was concerned. There was only one blonde moron with the carefree attitude and happy-go-lucky outlook on life with the aquamarine eyes. There was only one Kay.

"My cab should be here at two…"

"Two huh?" Kay just stared at the wall with this information in hand, but as she saw the clock hanging there, a faint smile appeared on her lips, and she looked back to Elizabeth. "Well, then I've got to make sure to make the most of these 8 hours, don't I?"


End file.
